Wednesday, June 09, 2010

9 is the new 19

childhood is not what it used to be. i was lucky enough to grow up in a cul-de-sac full of kids. we would play and play and play...all day and till the sun went down at night. i especially remember summers. i had to clean the kitchen after dinner and i remember thinking that i couldn't work fast enough to get back outside and join in the screams and laughter of the rest of the kids. all of the adults would bring their lawn chairs and iced teas to our driveway and sit out and talk and watch us play. we would spend the night at each other's houses sometimes. we would go to each other's houses all the time and talk and play for hours.

we don't live in a cul-de-sac filled with kids, or even on a street with a lot of kids that my kids play with. there are no kids colton or aiden's age. we do have a first grader and a fifth grader that come over regularly and i love that the kids have them to play with. i did have to have an uncomfortable conversation with the fifth grader today explaining that the conversation topics needed to stay "g" rated. i'll tell you somethin else....fifth grade ain't what it used to be either. that is one thing i've learned. today, i had to come inside to feed annslee and colton and the fifth grader were left outside on the porch swing talking. i just sat in the nursery, feeding a.j. and praying that God would protect colton's innocence and his little ears from hearing things that he wasn't ready for. i came to the realization that i can't be with him all the time shielding him and directing and steering the conversation to where i want it to go. although i would love to.

is anyone else wondering where childhood went? and how to get it back for our kids?

2 comments:

i found myself saying that same prayer this week. my kids were hanging w/ my cousin's kids (13,11,8) and their new college-aged summer nanny. The topics were getting a little PG-13 related. I just kept praying my little hears wouldn't hear those topics!!

I find it is a constant battle to preserve the innocence of our kids. I flirt with the fine line of being amish some days!! it freaks me out to think about what they get exposed to when i am not around...taking deep breaths & remembering it is out of my hands & in Bigger hands helps...sometimes. other days, i just freak out.

THIS IS US...

a good hat makes everything better

About Me

i have chosen to live my life as a wife and mom, where the rewards for a job well done come in the form of hugs and kisses instead of awards and promotions...and i feel that i have the best 4 kids that God could offer. i still think that my husband is the cutest guy in the room...especially when he wears his hat backwards.